Welcome to Mount Olivet’s website! We are pleased you stopped by.

Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Shrewsbury, MA is a congregation in transition. On Sunday January 31st, 2010 Mount Olivet bid Farewell and Godspeed to the congregation’s beloved partner in ministry and leader as Pastor Cliff Gerber retired after 34 years of blessed service in Shrewsbury.

In anticipation of Pastor Gerber’s retirement Mount Olivet’s Congregation Council asked the New England Synod Bishop’s office for guidance. At the Bishop’s staff’s recommendation it was decided to engage a trained interim pastor to lead Mount Olivet through an intentional interim process. Congregations served by long term pastors make the healthiest transitions into their next relationship with a called/settled/permanent pastor when they are intentional about their "work" during the time between called/settled/permanent pastors.

I am Pastor Rick Schulhaus. I have been trained and certified by the Interim Ministry Network of Baltimore, MD to lead congregations through the work of interim ministry process. I have served Jesus’ Church as an intentional interim pastor since mid-2002, serving in the Church’s pastoral ministry since my ordination in 1976. Since mid-2002 I have helped lead five New England Synod congregations through their process work.

I know the work of interim ministry to be stimulating, healthy, wonderful, productive work in the congregations in which I have served as "intentional interim". At the end of the process work each of those five congregations was well prepared to conduct its search for its new pastoral partner. They were so because the interim process work led each congregation to a clear sense of which ministries the Lord of the Church meant each to continue and which ministries to add. I bring the same high expectations with me as I join Mount Olivet, and as we begin our general ministry partnership work and interim ministry process work together.

You are welcome to peek in from time to time to see how the Holy Spirit blesses this work. You are welcome to join us in worship, in ministry, in interim process reflection and work. Mount Olivet has heard and continues to hear the world-encompassing invitation of God’s love in Christ Jesus. Having heard, and having understood, we extend that Godly welcome to all persons. Come. You will find a welcome here!

God’s grace and peace to you,